Chapter Four : Anger and Guilt

Guilt is anger directed at ourselves.

/Peter McWilliams/

Hello there! So happy to read your reviews and to see how many people like this story *yeah*. Special thanks to all the reviewers, followers and to all those who have favourited my story. You guys are great!

Scorpius woke up some time later, his stomach making funny noises. A glance at the wall clock told him that he had missed lunch. Shakily getting up, the boy wondered if it was a good idea to go meet his daddy downstairs. He didn't want to see his father. He hated him and he didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Maybe, he should tell his daddy about his feelings. Maybe his daddy would take him away from his father. Scorpius decided that this was the best thing to do. Grabbing his stuffed dragon in one hand, the boy hurried out of his room and down to the kitchen.

His daddy was alone, but he acted strangely. Maybe the fight with Scorpius' father had been violent again. His daddy's eyes were red and swollen, his usually perfect hair was a mess and his nose was running. Scorpius could sometimes hear a small whimper coming from his daddy, followed by sobs. The boy couldn't bear to see his daddy cry. He had never seen his daddy cry. Usually, Draco would tell him that everything would be alright and that he didn't have to worry. Scorpius always believed him until the next fight. Until the next fight, his daddy would remain strong. Scorpius wished to be like his daddy when he grew up: tall, handsome and strong.

"Daddy" the boy called in a broken sob. Draco looked up, a look of fear in his eyes. Through his tears, he managed a smile. "Daddy, what is wrong with you?" The man's smile became reassuring as he dried his tears with his sleeve. "Nothing Scorpius, I… I just have a violent headache. I'll be just fine" Scorpius knew his daddy was lying. He was the one who always told him not to tell lies. Adults always told lies and didn't even felt sorry afterwards.

"Daddy, where's father?" At the mention of his father, Scorpius saw his daddy shudder. "He… he went to see friends"

"But I thought he wanted to spend time with us" Adults always told lies. They never stopped. Draco nodded helplessly. "He had people to see, it was important. People from work…" Scorpius lowered his eyes, clutching Perry against his chest. His voice was a mere whisper. "Daddy, I don't want to live here anymore" When he lifted his eyes back to his daddy, he saw that the latter looked at him in surprise. Maybe he had just said something wrong. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Scorpius, why would you say that" Scorpius wasn't sure if he should tell his daddy. What would his reaction be?

"I hate father. He keeps breaking his promises and he keeps being mean to me. I don't want him to be mean to me. And he's being mean to you as well. Sometimes, he speaks to you in a rude way. I hate him, I don't want to see him anymore" Tears ran down the child's cheek. It was out and Scorpius felt better. He felt better after he had let out his rage. His daddy's reaction puzzled him nonetheless.

"Come with me" Draco merely said, dragging Scorpius along. He led the child out of the kitchen and out of the apartment house. They passed the doors of Mrs Smithson, an elder lady who always gave Scorpius sweets. Next to her home was Mr McCarthy's, a young engineer, who was always absent. Stairs led down to the other floors and to the cellars. That's where Draco went.

Scorpius had always been afraid of the cellars. His father kept telling him that if he didn't behave, he might as well go and sleep there for the night. There were always rats and huge spiders in the cellars and therefore, Scorpius didn't fancy the idea of going there. He had never actually been in the cellars (thanks to his daddy's protection), but he had heard some other children talk about these horrible places. He didn't want to go there. However, he trusted Draco.

The two of them reached their own cellar's door and as Draco opened it, Scorpius realized that his ideas about the place had been preconceived. It was a rather small room, but the three little windows near the ceiling provided the place with light. The walls had been painted in white and there were hardly any spiders anywhere. Just a small one hanging from a thread and it looked dead, anyway. Perry was still firmly pressed against Scorpius' body. "Daddy, what are we doing here?" Were they going to live in the cellar until his father had calmed down? Was this their new home? It didn't look incredibly convenient to Scorpius.

"The anger and rage you're feeling is justified, boy" Draco knelt in front of his son, placing his two hands on each of the child's shoulders, "I know how you feel. My father also never kept his promises. My father was also mean to me" Suddenly, Scorpius saw his daddy get up and open the drawer from the nearby cupboard. The child didn't see what his daddy was doing, but he heard the characteristic noises of jars being pushed away. After a moment, Draco closed the drawer and placed six jars of jam on the top of the cupboard. Each was a rich dark colour. Would that be their food for the next few months?

"Auntie Pansy gave those to me some months ago, yet no one has ever found a use for them. None of us likes her jam, anyway" Draco took a jar in his hand and without warning, threw it against the nearest wall, making Scorpius jump. Draco turned to face his son, smiling reassuringly.

"Let your anger out, Scorpius. No one will ever know about it. This will be our little secret"

Draco threw another jar at the wall. Scorpius watched the jam stick on the perfectly white wall. It looked funny to throw jars at the wall. Without realizing, Scorpius took the jar his daddy was handing him and smashed it at the wall. It felt good to be able to determine those jars' faiths. Scorpius felt in control, powerful. Like his daddy, Scorpius threw another jar at the wall. It broke and fell in shattered pieces on the floor. A look to his daddy made him stop. Draco looked at him with tears in his eyes and a not so convincing smile on his lips. Scorpius also felt like crying. He couldn't hold his tears for much longer.

"Come here, my angel" Draco said, kneeling and hugging his son tightly, "you're strong, my angel. Don't ever forget that. You're stronger than any other child I know. It'll soon be over, this I vow. All will soon be over"

Sobs racked his daddy's body and Scorpius cried also. He didn't want his daddy to be sad. He didn't want anyone to be sad. He wanted to get away from his father. He wanted to have another family, with brothers and sisters. He wanted his daddy to smile again. But for now, he simply hugged his daddy and cried with him.

"Malfoy… You mean Draco Malfoy? He's… being… no I can't believe that he's actually being…" Harry stopped in mid-sentence. In a way, he felt satisfaction at the thought of Malfoy being punished for all the crimes he made in the past, but guilt quickly replaced that feeling. How could he be so cruel towards his nemesis? Alright, they were not the best of friends, but without Mal… Draco, he might not be here now. Without Draco, Bellatrix would've called the Dark Lord in Malfoy Manor a decade ago. It was thanks to Draco that he was still alive. He couldn't wish him any harm. Besides, no one deserved to be harmed by a loved one.

"Harry, you must promise not to tell anyone and not to act foolishly about what I just told you. Don't get me wrong, I want to help Draco, but even if he's being abused he remains the proud asshole he has always been. I vowed on my life that I wouldn't tell anyone else and that I wouldn't do anything to help him. To break a vow made to Draco Malfoy can be deadly for me and that's an understatement. If we want to help him we'll have to be discreet and act subtly" Harry wished he hadn't asked about that person. It wasn't of his business either. Why did he always have to know that which wasn't for him to know? That's what you get for being curious.

"Blaise, don't tell me you made the Unbreakable Vow?"

"I almost did, hadn't I been lucid that day. Harry, this is a really serious matter, we must act carefully, because if Marcus ever finds out, he might kill Draco"

"Wait a minute, Marcus like in Marcus Flint?" Harry asked. Blaise nodded.

"He has a child with him, Scorpius. Poor boy is in the middle of all their debates. I'm the godfather, so I have an excuse to go at the Draco's house and make sure that he's safe, but I can't be there all the time. If I come too often, Flint will hit Draco for being unfaithful to him" Harry couldn't believe what he was being told. This had to be a joke. And how could Draco…

"Draco is a guy, he can't have children. Who's the child's mother, can't she help them?" Blaise looked astonished but seemed to realize something in time. He leant back in his chair, sounding casual:

"In the Wizarding World, men can carry children. It requires a fairly easy potion, easy for those who can brew it. People that have a talent in potions, people like Draco finish this kind of potion in less than a week. Then you'll need some magic cast by the partner and eventually a healer, which in this case would be Theodore Nott in person. He made sure that the pregnancy went well for Draco. "

"And Flint hit Draco while he was pregnant?"

"No" Blaise laughed bitterly, "no, I believe he has controlled himself for nine months. That doesn't mean that Draco had a peaceful life. Even pregnant, he had to be Flint's sex slave and had to work hard to please his boyfriend. You can't imagine how much he has changed since school" Blaise's jaw clenched in anger, "all because of a little fucker. And you know what's worse? Draco affirms that he loves Marcus Flint beyond imagining. So naïve, so manipulative… and yet so strong"

Harry felt sick after Blaise had told him this story. He couldn't believe it, he still couldn't believe it. He wanted to help Draco, he was determined to help him once again, not only him, but also his son. The child didn't deserve such a life. It wasn't his fault after all. Harry wouldn't let his nemesis suffer, merely because they had had their differences in the past. No, no one deserved such treatment and as long as Harry could prevent it from happening, he wouldn't let Draco and his son be hurt by Marcus Flint.

"We need a plan"

"Waitress, another one" Marcus barked, pointing at his empty glass. A young woman generously poured him some Firewhiskey. Marcus was drunk, but it was the only way to calm his burning nerves. He emptied his glass in one go, spilling some of the drink on his shirt. It didn't matter anyway. Marcus drowned his anger in alcohol. It's the only way, he kept telling himself, it's the only way.

Marcus never meant to hurt Draco, but every time he did. It was not his fault if the bastard kept angering him. It wasn't his fault if Draco was so damn good-looking and made Marcus want to claim him every time they came closer. His boyfriend deserved a better treatment, yes, but maybe if he would listen more often to Marcus…

The former Slytherin asked the waitress to leave the bottle. He couldn't stand more alcohol, but he had to drown this anger and most of all, he had to make the guilt disappear. Draco deserved to be hit, to be claimed with force. It was the only way the blonde would understand what his role in their relationship was. His role was to bear and raise Marcus' children. He was doing pitiful work with Scorpius: the boy was soft, dreamy and clingy just like Draco. Again, Marcus drowned the guilt he felt in Firewhiskey.

Draco was weak! If he had a little bit of self-respect, he would run away with Scorpius. That was Marcus' theory. The bastard was too dependent to run away. He was weak, whiny. He wasn't worth more than any other whore in Knockturn Alley. Marcus drank more Firewhiskey.

Draco was stupid, worthless and only good to be used for Marcus' own pleasure. The man took another drink and swallowed it. Guilt, always guilt. Why did he feel guilty? Draco deserved this life of submission, or else God wouldn't have brought him on Marcus' path. Another drink and guilt, only guilt.

"Sir, I believe you've had enough" the waitress said, taking the bottle away. Marcus didn't even argue. Guilt, only guilt. What had he done? Another drink, his last drink. Without a word, Marcus paid his bottle and left. He wondered if Draco would welcome him home with fear written on his face. He wondered if he was still there or if he had found the strength to leave. Marcus wouldn't have blamed him if he had.

Next chapters will start getting a little bit more interesting. I was wondering if the insertion of different point of views was a good idea. Is it not too confusing? Let me know.

TBC…